Drawing Basics by Proko

Proko Drawing Basics is a self-paced online course taught by Stan Prokopenko, the founder of Proko. It covers the foundations that every other drawing subject rests on: confident lines, simple shapes, perspective, value and edges. The course runs to 185 video lessons and roughly 82 hours of material, with 58 lessons free to watch. The full premium version costs $159 as a one-time purchase.

Most of Proko's catalogue assumes you can already draw a box in perspective or shade a simple form. This course is where those skills are taught from scratch, which is why Proko's own Perspective Course page points newcomers here first. It is also one of the largest courses on the site, and it is still growing, with new videos added regularly.

What You Will Learn

The course moves from mark-making to light and form. Based on the official syllabus, you will practise:

• Choosing and preparing materials, including sketchbooks, papers, pencils and erasers
• Drawing controlled, confident lines
• Breaking complex subjects down into simple shapes, from observation
• One-, two- and three-point perspective, including boxes and cylinders
• Intuitive perspective for drawing without construction lines
• Value: organising light and shadow to describe form
• Edges: deciding where forms should be sharp or soft

Who Is Proko Drawing Basics For?

It suits complete beginners who want a structured start, and self-taught artists who sense gaps in their fundamentals. Proko lists it as beginner and intermediate, and the assignments come in two levels, so returning artists can choose the harder track.

It is also a sensible first step before Proko's figure, portrait or anatomy courses. If you already handle perspective and shading comfortably and want to work on the human figure straight away, Figure Drawing Fundamentals may be a better use of your time.

Course Structure

The course is organised into topic sections. The official page lists:

• Getting Started (12 lessons): learning how to draw, materials guides, pencil sharpening and a first observational project
• Lines
• Shapes
• Perspective (one-, two- and three-point, boxes and cylinders)
• Intuitive Perspective
• Values
• Edges
• Materials and Bonus Content

Each section mixes several lesson types: main lectures, warm-ups, projects, demonstrations and critiques. The critique videos review real student submissions and focus on common mistakes, which is useful if you are working alone.

Price and Access

The full course costs $159 as a single payment. Proko states that it is not a subscription and that buyers keep access to the videos permanently. You can also buy it as a gift, and adding more Proko courses to the same cart gives a small bundle discount (3% per additional course part, up to 15%).

Premium access adds extended and exclusive lessons, assignment demonstrations, high-resolution diagrams and photos, and 3D models you can rotate in the browser. Videos can be downloaded as 1080p MP4 files for offline use. Refund requests go to Proko support within 30 days; they may be reviewed if more than a quarter of the content has been downloaded.

About the Instructor

Stan Prokopenko founded Proko and teaches drawing, painting and anatomy. He is the instructor behind several of the site's core courses, including Figure Drawing Fundamentals, Portrait Drawing Fundamentals and Anatomy of the Human Body, so the teaching style here carries through the rest of his catalogue.

Things to Consider

• Time: At more than 80 hours, this is a long course. Treat it as a programme to work through over months, not a weekend watch.
• Materials: You only need basic drawing supplies. The opening lessons explain how to choose sketchbooks, pencils and erasers.
• Try before you buy: The 58 free lessons give a clear sense of the teaching before you pay.
• Feedback: Critique videos show common mistakes, but personal feedback is not promised. You can post assignments to the Proko community.
• Next steps: Figure Drawing Fundamentals, Portrait Drawing Fundamentals and The Perspective Course all build on what is taught here.
• Language: Lessons are in English, with Spanish captions among those available.

Start the Course

Interested in learning with Proko?

Start Drawing Basics

For the full syllabus and pricing of Proko Drawing Basics, visit the official Proko website.

Looking for more ways to learn? Browse all courses and learning resources on Good Stuff Weekly.

Last verified: October 16, 2026